Many amateur sports players do not pay attention to safety factors, perform incorrect techniques causing ligament tears, and delayed treatment leads to many complications.
This past week, Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City received 12 cases of knee ligament rupture due to sports injuries. In the first 4 months of the year, 500 people came to the hospital for examination due to ligament damage. Of these, more than 70% of patients play amateur sports, and more than 200 cases require surgical treatment, a twofold increase compared to the same period last year.
MSc.BSc.CKI Nguyen Van Luu, Center for Orthopedics, explains that more and more people like to play sports. However, sports players who are not professional athletes often do not really pay attention to safety factors such as warming up carefully before starting, landing incorrectly, playing too hard, not going to the doctor or lack of rest when an injury occurs… Rupture of knee ligaments is the most common injury. Some sports that easily cause ligament injuries are football, basketball, volleyball, and jogging.
Knee ligaments are a combination of 4 main ligament groups, made of connective tissue. Knee ligaments connect the femur to the bones in the lower leg, stabilizing the knee joint and preventing abnormal movements of the bones. Knee ligaments are damaged and torn, causing pain and affecting the patient’s ability to move. If not treated promptly and properly, it can lead to dangerous complications such as inflammation or osteoarthritis of the knee, thigh muscle atrophy, and torn meniscus.
Doctor Luu (middle) performs endoscopic ligament reconstruction. Illustration: Tam Anh General Hospital
Like Mr. Bao, 23 years old, he suffered a torn knee ligament after an incorrect landing while playing soccer a year ago. Because of delayed treatment, many blood vessels and ligament roots disappeared, the outer meniscus was slightly torn, and the muscles around the knee atrophied significantly compared to the other leg. The patient is young and needs to regain mobility soon, so the doctor prescribes reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament by endoscopic surgery, retaining the natural ligament root.
Another case is Mr. Long, 37 years old, who repeatedly broke his ligaments due to jogging and playing other sports incorrectly. The patient had surgery to reconstruct the anterior cruciate ligament twice, but was too quick to play sports and the ligament re-ruptured for the third time in 2018. Earlier this year, he had difficulty walking, could not straighten his legs and was in a lot of pain, so he decided to surgery.
At this time, complications appeared such as joint blockage due to torn meniscus, instability of the knee joint, effusion, and mild degeneration. In order to overcome the damage and restore knee joint mobility, the doctor prescribed reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament with autologous tendons (taken from goose leg tendons) along with reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament outside the knee joint.
Dr. Luu said that both cases had ligament reconstruction using the all inside endoscopic technique. This is a minimally invasive intervention method that helps limit the risk of bleeding, minimize soft tissue damage, and shorten recovery time. Doctors can treat damage to ligaments and other parts such as meniscus, tendons, muscles… in the same surgery. Thanks to that, patients have less pain, restore muscle strength and return to movement sooner.
Playing soccer unsafely can lead to ligament injuries. Image: Tam Anh General Hospital
Prevent injuries when playing sports, especially to ligaments, by using support devices such as splints, elastic bandages, wearing appropriate shoes and clothes… when playing sports or vigorous exercise. Exercise regularly, methodically and with correct posture. The intensity needs to be gradually increased so that the body has time to adapt and the ligaments are not overstressed. Focus on squat and deadlift exercises to increase the strength of both muscles and ligaments.
Dr. Luu said that with current ligament reconstruction treatments, patients can walk 1-2 days after surgery, run after 2 months and play sports again after 6 months. When surgery is indicated, patients should seek early treatment to recover early, avoiding the risk of developing complications.